Specialisation

Research interests

I am a marine ecologist with a soft spot for parasites. My research revolves around understanding the ecological role of parasites in marine ecosystems on various spatial and organizational scales.

Using lab and field experimental approaches, my research group studies the effects of parasites on marine host individuals, populations and communities. We are also interested in how parasites influence the topology and dynamics of food webs. Another line of research aims to understand the patterns and processes underlying infections of marine hosts. This includes work on the role of ambient biodiversity in affecting parasite transmission and disease risk as well as studies on the effects of global changes such as rising temperatures and biological invasions on marine parasites and their hosts. Finally, we study large-scale patterns of parasitism using literature-based datasets and biogeographical and macroecologial approaches in order to understand the forces that have shaped parasitism in the sea.

Functions

Functions

Since 2015: Lecturer in the Marine Biology MSc programme of the University of Groningen (NL)

Since 2014: Senior research scientist at NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea research (NL)

2010-2014: Research scientist at NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea research (NL)

2007-2010: DFG Postdoc fellowship at the University of Otago (NZ)

2006/2007: DAAD Postdoc fellowship at the Aarhus University (DK)

Publications

Publications

Please find a complete list of my NIOZ-publications at the bottom of this webpage or on ResearcherID. You can download pdfs of my publications on ResearchGate. I also have a Google Scholar account.

MSc projects

Various research projects for MSc students are available all year round. They range from field studies over field and lab experiments to literature-based approaches. Please contact me for more details or check the NIOZ internship webpages.

Linked news

The new Wadden Sea Quality Status Report (QSR) is now available. Over the course of two years, more than 100 scientists have reviewed and evaluated the current ecological status of the entire Wadden Sea based on a trilateral monitoring programme…